GOOD READ! Better Off Wed by Susanna Craig is book 3 in the Love and Let Spy series and though in a series this book can be read as a standalone. What I really like about this story was that it was so original and the characters just great. Also you defiantly get the real regency era feel. The subject at time was a tad hard to read as it was the way of those times and the nobles did treat their employees badly and took advantage of them. I loved that Laura was their avenging angel and stood up for the women who were treated so awful. A true heroine and quick as a whip. I did find a few times that I got a little lost reading this story and have to re-read a few of the paragraphs to understand what the author was saying but it did not take away the enjoyment of this book and story. This story has danger, a pretend marriage, a dangerous mission, an important assignment, blackmail, spying, kindness, a carriage accident, injury, trust and falling in love. I recommend you read this book. It was a great reminder on how far women have come.

***This book was gifted to me and I am voluntarily reviewing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️3.75 🌶4
CONTENT WARNINGS: sexual harassment and assault, suicide [mentioned in passing], parental death [part of backstory], mild violence, hostage-taking

Captain Jeremy Addison, Viscount Sterling and code-breaker for the English Crown, has been assigned to investigate a “thief-taker” who hides behind the name Lady Sterling (no relation). Using that alias, Laura Hopkins has been exacting justice on behalf of women who have been abused by their male employers. Romantic complications arise between the two when they find themselves pursuing a common potential enemy. Pitched as a standalone, the story is best enjoyed after having read the two previous books in the Love and Let Spy series: Who’s That Earl and One Thing Leads to A Lover.

WHAT I LIKED IN THIS BOOK
The romance tropes in this one are top-notch: fake marriage, one bed, inexperienced hero. Plus, the main characters aren’t slow or incompetent: their respective secrets aren’t dragged out for the sake of the plot, and even outside the story, they each have very interesting careers and interests. (The plays they talk about in the course of the book were a nice touch.) Laura as “Lady Sterling” proves more than capable of fending for herself. Jeremy as a real Lord Sterling, for his part, is supportive, even awed, of her drive. He also acquits himself well enough against the antagonist, a Lord Thornton, when the time comes.

WHAT I DIDN’T QUITE LIKE IN THIS BOOK
The last act of the book felt much too rushed, and the story definitely would’ve only benefited from having more thief-taking from Lady Sterling and more code-breaking from Lord Sterling. And despite being a standalone, the reader can get lost in the larger espionage arc unless they read the previous books (which shouldn’t be a problem, though; I thought OTLTAL was the best in the series).

At the end of it, I thought the story did not quite live up to its potential, but there are still plenty of things to love about Better Off Wed. I’m really looking forward to future installments! (Maybe something about General Scott and Mrs. Scott?)

3.5 Stars
Miss Laura Hopkins uses the alias Lady Sterling to help young women who have been mistreated or compromised by their employers. Some might see it as theft and blackmail. For Laura, it is a small measure of justice. She usually steals funds to support the abused & also something of importance from the abuser to stop them from re-offending. Captain Jeremy Addison, Viscount Sterling, is a code breaker & has been assigned all manner of dangerous missions, though none as complicated as investigating the beguiling Lady Sterling. Forced to pose as newlyweds at the home of a disreputable earl, Laura and Jeremy forge an unexpected alliance.
This is the third book in the series & could be read on its own. A well written book which I enjoyed but it didn’t have me on the edge of my seat as I'd been expecting. I really liked both Jeremy & Laura, both were caring & honourable & perfect for each other & I liked the chemistry between them but it simmered rather than sizzled. The pace was good & I read it in under a day but I wasn’t glued to it so all in all an average read which had promised to be so much more. My least favourite of the series so far as it seemed to skim over the issues rather than getting to the nitty-gritty
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Susanna Craig’s Better off Wed is delightful if slightly imperfect. With a smart and strong heroine and a stiff-spined hero, it’s warm and strongly written, and the best book in the Love and Let Spy series thus far.

Impoverished spy, codebreaker and ex-army Captain Jeremy Addison, Viscount Sterling, has been assigned to the case of sly ‘Lady Sterling’, a notorious high society pickpocket who has been bedeviling Scotland Yard for ages.  General Scott, Jeremy’s supervisor, has noted that the pickpocket’s game seems to be concealing more – she only targets vulnerable men with high social positions.  Scott thinks Lady Sterling is looking for blackmail material and might have gotten her hands on some high-octane secrets. Scott wants Jeremy to stop her before it’s too late…by marrying her.  Surely Lady Sterling wouldn’t willingly lie to her own husband - and this way he can get close enough to sniff out her secrets.

“Lady Sterling” happens to be Laura Hopkins, and her motivation happens to be much simpler – she targets sexual harassers, seducers and rapists, and she uses the dirty secrets she’s learned to threaten those those powerful men until they stop harassing their domestic servants or those they’ve abused.

Jeremy quickly finds Laura while she’s posing as a beleaguered, mud-spattered demoiselle with a twisted ankle to get closer to her latest quarry and says Jeremy is her husband – Lord Sterling  - to help bolster her cover.  He immediately recognizes Laura as the sister of an army comrade who used to entertain the troops at the family inn, and is incredulous that she’s doing what she’s doing.  They soon realize that the earl whom she has been plotting to blackmail for harassing his children’s governess is also Jeremy ‘s quarry, although for a different reason – he’s been passing coded messages to the French. They team up to bring the guy in, and discover that the chemistry between them is impossible to ignore.

Better off Wed sports a heroine who has been kissed more often than the hero, and all I can say is yay for inexperienced heroes!  But as much as I liked Laura and Jeremy, the book has one big flaw. Jeremy figures out Laura’s secret far too quickly, and the tension to the mystery is very, very low.  And yet I liked watching them team up together and try to hash out a romantic connection on top of a partnership, which they have to maintain to keep anyone from finding out who they really are as they draw in their quarry.

I loved Laura’s cleverness and Jeremy’s brilliance, and they’re warm and smart together as a couple.  But I can’t go higher than a B+ for Better off Wed.

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I enjoyed this spy+romance story, it was well written and the romance between Jeremy and Laura was passionate and engaging and kept me involved with their journey to their happily ever after.

Historical romance

I’ve read and enjoyed the first two books in the Love and Let Spy series. I find it hilarious that General Scott is a matchmaker as well as a master spymaster. It’s interesting that the author is able to bring such different individuals together in each story and it works. I enjoyed reading Better Off Wed.
Laura and Jeremy are at their cores protectors. It may be why the relationship works between them.

This third book came off as sweeter than the other two. This is a romance wrapped up in an interesting rescue and spy story. There are elements that could be triggers - I suspect that men taking advantage of servants is something that happened far too often or it wouldn’t find its way into so many books and movies. Despite or maybe because of this content the romance that built between Laura and Jeremy was sweeter in tone than that between characters in the first two books.

Content warnings: servants taken advantage of by masters and turned off without aid. Sex

Better Off Wed ticked so many boxes for me. The tropes alone! Fake marriage? Check. Loners being forced to work as a team? Check! Only one bed??? Check!!!!

All that's to say that I had a great time reading this book. Both Laura and Jeremy were intriguing characters in their own right - after all, what's not to love about an thief who collects money and blackmail from terrible men to help the women they've hurt and a dedicated codebreaker working for a secret government agency? Even better, their chemistry was instant and believable from the start. I adored every scene where the two of them were forced to improv and play act as a married couple, particularly when they drew inspiration from some truly ridiculous-sounding plays. Their theatrics were truly my favorite parts of the book.

*spoilers ahead*

Lord Thornton made for a perfect villain, first as a truly awful man and then as a full-blown traitor to his country. I was more than happy to root for his downfall and thrilled to see him carted away in handcuffs by the end.

I had very few complaints while reading this book, to be perfectly honest. If anything, the ending seemed a bit rushed, with very little time to feel danger or suspense from Thornton's impending assault on Briar Cottage and with the final showdown between Thornton and the heroes seeming very short considering the full book of buildup.

Beyond that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and can't wait for the next installment!

4.25/5

Better off Wed, the third book in the Love and Let Spy series, is the story of Miss. Laura Hopkins and Captain Jeremy Addison. Laura is sort of a robin-hood character, masquerading under the alias "Lady Sterling" to get justice for women who have been mistreated by their employers. On her way to her next mission, she is unexpectedly helped by Captain Addison, who she is shocked to learn is actually...a Viscount, Lord Sterling.

Jeremy's latest assignment as a spy for the Crown is to investigate Lady Sterling, so it's only convenient to pretend to be her newlywed husband and accompany her on her quest. But things are not as they seem and as he unravels the truth, their chemistry becomes undeniable.

This is the best book in the series. Although it's standalone, it's very helpful to read the previous books, because there is a larger espionage story arc that develops through the series, and it would probably be confusing to read this book without the previous context. In fact, the author tends to tease the next book in the epilogue, so I did find myself going back to remind myself. Jeremy and Laura were my favorite couple in the series so far - their chemistry builds nicely and the conflict in this book is well paced.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

This series has been so much fun, and I'm excited there's more to come!!

Miss Laura Hopkins has been avenging wronged women under the name Lady Sterling, and she does what she needs to do, to make sure that these dastardly men pay for their crimes. It's a dangerous job, but she's determined to continue doing it. But, when she hits a snag and is injured on the way to her next job, an unexpected man comes to her aid.

Captain Jeremy Addison, Viscount Sterling, though he's still unused to the title, is a spy for the British Crown. He's a code breaker, and has been working on the same project for a while, when he's tasked with tracking down "THE Lady Sterling" and discovering her motives for her alleged crimes, and if she'd be willing to turn spy herself. He's shocked to discover a fellow soldier's sister is the lady in question, and their similar titles lead to a fake marriage of convenience as a cover story, when they run into Laura's target earlier than she planned.

Jeremy and Laura both respected each other's intelligence, and helped each other to further their goals. Their chemistry started as a slow sizzle, but soon grew to more than they expected. They each had reasons for not wanting to ever marry, and so neither of them had much experience in matters of intimacy, and it was so sweet watching them figure it all out together. I really loved how perfectly they fit together, and how aligned their motives were for the jobs they'd chosen. They each used their strengths in order to catch the villain, and those things really meshed well!

This was a delightful romp, and I really came to love these characters. The General (Jeremy's boss) is always a fun side character, and I adore his matchmaking ways the most! I highly recommend this series, and I'll be anticipating the next book!

Lady Sterling aka Miss Laura Hopkins is determined to help young women who seek her assistance, when they have been compromised. Her ways of achieving the desired effect the perpetrator is to take something from them that may not rightfully be theirs, using blackmail as the final silencer. Yet in her pursuit of the latest villain, she finds herself aided by a gentleman who announces that he is Lord Sterling. Captain Jeremy Addison, Viscount Sterling, as an agent for the Crown has been tasked with engaging the services of Lady Sterling. Yet before he can do so, he finds himself in the position of acting as her husband and before long, their connection does not seem quite so forced.
What made this book stand out, was that Jeremy manages to pull off sexy and innocent, at the same time, a role that is usually tagged for the female in this genre. Quite interestingly, Laura is the one filled with confidence. Together, their chemistry is intense but built up progressively through the story, making it quite believable that their feelings have developed, if in a short time span. The admiration, care and respect that they had for each other was always apparent, making this all the more memorable. My favourite so far in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Using the sobriquet Lady Sterling, Laura steals from predatory noblemen to provide for the women they've abused. Codebreaker Jeremy, who's recently come into the title Lord Sterling, is assigned to track her down and see if she'll take on a role spying for the crown. When her next mark turns out to be a suspected traitor, Laura and Jeremy work together to take him down, posing as newlyweds. As the attraction between them heats up, it looks like their fake romance might turn real—if they can stay alive long enough to fall in love.

This book has a lot of the things I love: a feminist heroine, a bookish hero, witty banter, strong characterization, and low-key suspense. This isn't the kind of book that keeps you on the edge of your seat—it's the kind you curl up with along with your favorite beverage for a pleasurable read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Laura, under the name Lady Sterling, helps women who are preyed upon and sexually assaulted by their employer. Maids, governesses, cooks... women with no one else to help them. She studies her target and steals from him, something of monetary value to help the victim, and something he wants to keep hidden in order it ensure he won't do it again. Jeremy, so refreshing, not a Rake or a scoundrel but a shy, bookish code breaker for the military. He happens to also be Lord Sterling. His commander, something of a matchmaker, orders him to find Lady Sterling's real identity and convince her to use her skills instead to spy for the country. The two unexpectedly find themselves pretending to be married as they realize they're after the same man. A smart, fun, adventure. The Underground's network of secret agent couples is growing!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley; this did not influence my review in any way. You know me, Constant Reader. I’m gonna say what I’m gonna say.

I always enjoy Susanna Craig’s stories. Quite often, the romance genre has but two extremes—not enough detail, so the background is lifeless and pale, or far too much detail, where the story becomes stilted and mired in just EVERYTHING. Susanna Craig, however, knows how to massage that sweet spot and gives just the right amount. I’m never tempted to skim or skip ahead with her books. She draws you into the story and keeps you. There’s just enough foreshadowing to whet your appetite for what is to come.

In addition, she gifts you with characters who have depth and hold your interest. This book is no exception. From the first moment you are introduced to Laura Hopkins/Lady Sterling, you feel invested in her crusade to get some small justice for innocent women who have been taken advantage of by their employers. And you know from the beginning that Jeremy is an honorable man who is beaten down by circumstances beyond his control and needs excitement and attraction to brighten the dark, dull life that he leads while buried (of his own choosing) in the Underground.

This is my first NetGalley review, and I’m not 100% sure how much I should share. As you know, this is the third in a series called Love and Let Spy. And if you’ve read the two previous books, you’ve been introduced to General Zebadiah Scott, who is possibly the most important spymaster in the world, as well as an insufferable matchmaker. I am going to warn you right here. I. LOVE. GENERAL. SCOTT. He is the GOAT: Greatest Of All Time. My blog features reviews of the previous books and a lot about why General Scott makes this series even better. General Scott has finagled two loving marriages for agents in his employ. In the book two epilogue, we are introduced to Captain Jeremy Addison, Lord Sterling, a Viscount, though he prefers to live his life as an army codebreaker. Alas, Jeremy is now General Scott’s newest victim (of love). What a coincidence that the thief who has set the ton on its ear is named LADY STERLING. This situation is just perfect, though neither Laura nor Jeremy sees it that way!

Without spoiling this book, here’s the gist: Jeremy has been ordered to find Lady Sterling and possibly convince her to work for Scott. Laura wants justice for women abused in their duties for yet another odious titled gentleman. And General Scott is still trying to figure out who is selling secrets to the French (which was the major theme of the second book).

By the way, another thing that makes this book, and the whole series, amazing is Susanna Craig’s addition of characters of color. We have Theo in the first book and we meet Millrose in the second and, to our delight, he’s back here in this one! You’d think Millrose was just a lowly storekeeper, but oh no. Millrose is actually a spy, but not just any spy. He’s a high ranking, intelligence officer—Colonel William Millrose—General Scott’s aide. THANK YOU, Susanna Craig, for adding a character of color who has depth, importance, and smarts. Susanna Craig was inspired by 80s TV shows for this series, and the character Billy Melrose was played by a black actor, Mel Stewart, on Scarecrow and Mrs. King. I remembered him from back when I watched the show in real time (haha, DVR/record what?) on my huge, clunky, tube TV with no kind of remote control option (it was the middle ages back when I grew up, lol).

This book connects to the first two books in the series, of course, but there are also ties to the Rogues & Rebels series. I love when an author creates their own fictional universe—it makes the characters feel even more real to me when I can say, “OMG, I remember XYZ from the Blah Blah series!” They’re more three-dimensional that way.

I like the fact that Laura doesn’t need a man to feel complete, and though she always thought that loving a man made you weaker, she soon learns that loving the right person actually makes you strong. Susanna Craig infuses this through the entire tale, beginning with how Jeremy and Laura quickly become partners (though, for different reasons) early on in the tale. Neither of them is used to working with another person, so they learn to collaborate for the first time in their lives, professionally and personally.

This book wraps up a lot of the mystery of the second book, and you’d think it was the end of the line, but there’s a fourth book in the series (Every Rogue Has His Charm) planned for next August!

Susanna Craig features content warnings on her website, which is awesome and I wish more authors would consider it, so I won’t add any here.

I did catch two minor mistakes—at location 497, it has Freddy instead of Walter. At 3107, it says Miss Addison where it should say Miss Hopkins.

Will they be able to sort thing out past their own misgivings…

I found this story quite different from the two previous ones. This is more a tale of coincidence and hazards than a spy mission in the true sense of the word.
Laura is no missing demeure miss, in her own way she rights the wrongs done to defenseless women, those easily abused as they have no one to protect nor fight for them. Why she garners informations and means to provide for those rejected women and also prevent the culprits to prey again on other unwilling victims.
She has seen from first hand what those predators can do, why she is also determined to never fall prey to any man who would not accept all of her, Miss Laura and Lady Sterling.
How I loved honorable kind Jeremy, a man who never wanted to become Viscount Sterling, who was happy as his life was going on. So when a mountain of debts landed on his lap attached to his unexpected inherited title, his future is upended for ever. Trusting him into a new life journey. One of shadows and secrets even if he is not a fields agent. Until when his superior asks him to discover who is hiding behind the Lady Sterling’s name, as well as what secrets she has gathered which might be interesting for the crown.

The beginning of their relationship is one of missed opportunities then of life’s happenstance, as if fate plays with them. I liked them together as there is no doubt, never will Jeremy betray her, instead he will do everything to help her even more when he discovers they have a common goal.
4 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen foreplays and lovemaking scenes.

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Better Off Wed is so unlikely that it is adorable. Situations happen that could be happenstance. Or, could be fate. You decide. Before I go further, I loved Laura’s description of Jeremy with startling blue eyes, a face like something from a painting of an angel, beautiful but manly. Not your typical hero in looks nor in personality.


Both hero and heroine are just kind people. They help in small ways that is not, generally, noticeable, but end up being huge. Laura is the secretive Lady Sterling, who helps the ‘working class’ when they have been hurt by a male of the aristocracy. Really, she is Laura Hopkins, whose brother works for the crown and she does not know it. Her brother and Jeremy, Lord Sterling, are in the same unit and both work for the crown. Laura is not dumb and figures it out fairly quickly. The premise of Laura and Jeremy worked out perfectly to hide their investigation.

They are both after the same man, Lord Thornton, who makes free with the female staff and may be a traitor to the crown. This is not an edge of your seat romantic/spy tale, but it is still well-written and just plain cute. Ms. Craig wraps up their HEA beautifully and opens the door for us to finally see Mrs. Drummond meet her match and find out her story.

I enjoyed the story but had no trouble putting it down for long periods of time. I generally liked the characters because both of them had such very interesting vocations and either of them could have made for a really, really interesting book. The trouble is – neither of those vocations really had any spark in the story. I think the whole story was just bland. The characters were bland, the plot was bland, there was no real sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat excitement and there wasn’t really any spying. Still, I liked it well enough and never had a thought of just putting it down. That could be because I liked the potential of the characters and the premise of the story and kept waiting for it all to get interesting, exciting, and to – well – happen. I guess the bottom line is that it is a sweet story about two very sweet and caring people – and that is why, in the end, I kept reading.

Laura Hopkins was orphaned at twelve and went to live with her very sweet and loving Aunt Mildred who lived in Clapham where all of the residents had one cause or another. The streets were filled with the voices of those society called radicals. Her aunt supported many of those causes – and Laura did as well. Laura created the persona of Lady Sterling in order to anonymously help employees (mostly women) who had been mistreated and wronged by their employers. As Lady Sterling, she would take something of value from that employer – and would leave them with the firm knowledge that she knew his secrets and if he didn’t change his ways, she’d expose both him and his secrets.

Captain Jeremy Addison, Viscount Sterling, is a spy for the Crown (I wouldn’t call him a spy – he is a code-breaker). His sister admires Lady Sterling, and his mother is dismayed at the name association. Jeremy’s boss, General Zebadiah Scott, tasks him with tracking down Lady Sterling and determining whether she could be a credible asset for the Crown – or a danger.

Laura is on the public stage heading to Kent in order to aid a potential victim when the coach overturns and she is injured. The other passengers help her to travel to the nearest Inn, but there are no accommodations to be had, and she is at a loss about what to do. However, two things happen, and they change the trajectory of her investigation totally. First, the employer who she is investigating, Lord Thornton, arrives at the same Inn – and then, the real Lord Sterling arrives and quickly surmises who she is. Uh-Oh! She quickly manufactures a ruse and hopes Lord Sterling will play along – and luckily, he does. Of course, that ends up meaning they have to play a newlywed couple.

When Jeremy realizes that Lord Thornton could actually figure into one of his own investigations, his support of Laura only increases. You see, Laura is injured and cannot conduct her normal investigations – Jeremy has to do it for her.

Jeremy and Laura fit each other perfectly. Both are very nice, very caring, very supportive, etc. and I enjoyed that synchrony. For me, I liked the story, but I wouldn’t read it a second time. If someone gifts you with this book, by all means, give it a read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Great premise, blah execution. I liked the idea of what the heroine, Laura, does, but somehow it ended up being so boring, not to mention convoluted. And she and Jeremy lack any real substance or chemistry whatsoever, it just made the story drag reading about them.

This is the 3rd book in the Love and Let Spy series. This is the story of Laura Hopkins, aka Lady Sterling, thief taker and Captain Jeremy Addison,aka Lord Sterling.
Laura has dedicated her life to helping those women who have been abused by the Lord's of the manor. She goes undercover and takes something of value from them to help support these women. Then she also tries to find out something in their life that she can use as blackmail to prevent them from destroying anyone else's life.
Jeremy Addison is a Captain , a spy who works in the coding division. He is given an assignment in the field. His assignment is to find out who the identity of Lady Sterling is.
When Captain Addison and Lady Sterlings paths cross and their assignments coincide, they decide to work together.
This leads to many adventures and the bonding of the two together.
I enjoyed the independent spirit of Laura and that she was willing to help those in distress.
I loved that Jeremy was so supportive of her
5 stars. I want to thank netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Better off Wed by Susanna Craig is the third book in the Love and Let Spy Series. The series is a bit different from others as it has some unexpected characters and situations which make the series more fun to read. I honestly found the twist in this one interesting!

Laura Hopkins is beautiful, intelligent and a heiress. Instead of following the usual path and getting married, she is determined to take down by blackmailing some of the most creepy men from the ton - men who take advantage of women. She goes by Lady Sterling and for her - this is justice.

Then she meets Lord Sterling and her cover starts to unravel. He does help her maintain it and helps her become safe, but unfortunately some things still interfere. I love the length they go to. I love how much I enjoyed their discomfort with each other. I was not happy with Lord Sterling the entire time - but his mother took care of the kick in the pants he needed!

Better off Wed by Susanna Craig was an interesting book to read. The level of deception that was used to get creeps away from their female servants makes Lady Sterling a hero to me! Better off Wed by Susanna Craig was a good read.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

In book #3 of the Love and Let Spy series, Lady Sterling is the alter-ego of Laura Hopkins. She helps women in need that were harrassed or even impregnated by their former male employer. Lady Sterling robs the male of funds to help the women and tries to find piece of information that she can hold over them.

Captain Jeremy Addison is a spy for the crown. He is the true Lord Sterling and has been sent by his superior to find this Lady Sterling. Their paths cross unexpectedly and they agree to team up against her latest victim.

While carrying out their plan, more information than they expected was revealed and now not just the governess is at risk.

What a great addition to the 1st 2 books in this series. I cannot wait to read #4.